Bad News Doesn’t Get Any Better With Age

Leaders of Character know that facing difficult circumstances is part of leadership.

Right now, there is somebody reading this who has been putting off a conversation they should have already had. You’ve known you need to talk to your co-worker, boss, friend or spouse. But, you’ve put it off.

No more! It’s time to exercise Courage my friends!

My dad, The General, told me as a teenager, “Hey bud! Bad news doesn’t get any better with age.” I had put a dent in the side of his car and tried to hide the damage. I suppose I thought I could avoid an unpleasant conversation forever?

Though we all laugh at ourselves and such teenage reasoning, the truth is—many of us do the same in several areas of our adult life. Could this be what you are doing with that conversation you’re avoiding? Do you believe procrastinating will let you avoid the unpleasantness indefinitely? It didn’t work for me with The General. I am pretty sure it won’t work for you either.

Leaders of Character know that facing difficult circumstances is part of leadership. Anyone can lead when things go smoothly. But, when a team or a family hits a rough patch, someone needs to step forward and exercise the Courage to lead. Someone must be the first to speak up. Someone needs to proactively address the situation versus procrastinating. Someone must act like a Leader of Character even if they are not the highest ranking person in the room.

When someone steps forward and acts with Courage, people notice. The bonus is the fact Courage inspires Courage. When one person takes action despite perceived or actual risk, others tend to follow. With each small act of Courage, the individual and team prepares for the larger tests to come. Pretty soon, Courage becomes a habit—one which will serve you well in those bigger moments.

When an individual or a team exercises Courage, issues are addressed sooner and tough times are faced head on. Conflict is not avoided. Conflict is dealt with proactively and constructively. When this happens, resolution comes sooner. Solutions arrive faster. We all get better.

With whom do you need to have a conversation? Today is your day to set up an appointment or phone call. Don’t procrastinate any longer. Get busy and make the phone call or walk down the hallway and knock on a door.

The word encourage means: to give courage. I want to encourage you to take the step and have the conversation. When you do, you exercise the Courage which is critical to you becoming the Leader of Character you always wished you had.

Dig Deep Questions:

• Have you ever been tempted to put off a critical conversation? What was your reasoning for the delay?

• What appointment or call do you need to make today?

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Making a shift towards taking responsibility and living with Courage is a lifelong journey. We want to partner with you as you practice the habit of Courage daily, which is why we have created our Habits of Character Action Guides.

The Courage Action Guide offers you a month of daily, interactive training complete with a daily reading, dig deep questions, weekly processing guides and instructions on how to use the guide both individually and with your team. The Courage Action Guide is now available here.

We are behind you, championing for you, your teams and your organizations as you become the leader you wish you had. We want to come alongside you as you grow to confidently answer “yes” to the question, “Would you follow you?”